Beef Cattle Question

[Piston]

Piston, might I ask why a mini?

Well, a mini already has more meat on it than I would be able to consume on my own.  A full sized beef cow has WAY more meat on it than I would be able to consume  :D

But moreso because they don't need as much 'space' as a full sized one (or so I read  ;D) Also, pound for pound they have more meat than a full sized cow.  I forget the numbers, but I read that a lot more of they're weight (percentage wise) was actual meat, and less bone, than a full sized cow. 

But Mostly, just because I think they're cool.  ;D

[sandhills]

Stick with the "cool"  ;D.  They shouldn't be any harder to keep in then any other cow, just takes shorter hot wires  .

[Piston]

.....oh and keep in mind, I know nothing about cows.   :D :D :D :D

[Raider Bill]

.....oh and keep in mind, I know nothing about cows.   :D :D :D :D

White cows give white milk, brown cows give chocolate milk ;D

[sandhills]

And the black and white ones give half n half  ;D

[thecfarm]

Get a cow,that's the best teacher.  ;D  You'll learn quick. One thing get in the pen with it and get to know it,so it will know you too. Just don't get to attached to it.

[thurlow]

I hate bulls about as much as Magicman hates sweetgum, they just tear stuff up.

Nothing wrong with bulls, you just gotta have the facilities to handle 'em.  Building (bull-proof) corrals is one of the reasons I bought a sawmill;  had much pretty any kind of hardwood trees I needed for lumber, plus an almost unlimited supply of used utility poles.  Don't know how many bulls we owned through the years, but only remember one 'bad' one;  bought a Charolais in the '60s (coulda been the early '70s) when they were all the rage and he was 'bad' from the get-go;  he went to the salebarn the second year.

[Holmes]

.....oh and keep in mind, I know nothing about cows.   :D :D :D :D

White cows give white milk, brown cows give chocolate milk ;D

And miniature cows give you sliders?

[caveman]

A 5cc shot of Lutalyse (sp) should bring the cows into heat in a day or two.  A straw of semen from a good bull should be able to be had for $20 to $50.  If you can find a high school kid who has had training to artificially inseminate, they will usually work cheap.  A squeeze chute or at least a grooming chute will make the process easier.  Pregnant women should not have contact with Lutalyse according to the label.  Good luck. Caveman

[sandhills]

thurlow, we have no "bull proof" pens but I'm working on it  ;), so when we put 7 or 8 bulls that are anywhere from 3 to 6 years old together things get tore up until they have their pecking order established, it's just their nature and you can't help that, otherwise I really don't have a problem with them.  Other than when they get their job done at home and venture off to finish the neighbor's job for him  :D.  We used to have a big herford bull I could sit on while he ate his grain when I was a kid, looking back now it was pretty stupid, I knew he'd never bother me but all it would've taken was one of the others to shove him out of their way.
 

[Okrafarmer]

A bull's the slyest devil,
Friendly as a pup,
Til you think he's on the level,
And then he tears you up.
smiley_bull_stomp

[Piston]

Lot's o' comedians on this thread  ;D

[Roxie]

Gives you the sense of deja moo...the feeling that you've heard this bull before. 

[grweldon]

I find it strange that we haven't heard anything from the original poster...

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

He probably mooooved on after reading all this manure.  :D

[123maxbars]

Been busy last few days at my real job/ im a undercover narcotics officer and business is good up here in TN, more drugs than we can deal with, but thats another story,

In reference to my original actually phishfarmer gave me a call shortly after posting this thread and answered all my questions. I had too many questions to post and he really knows his stuff!  He was a huge help,

[fishpharmer]

 :-[ Thanks for the complement maxbars, glad to help.  I grew up on a cattle farm and now have a few, that doesn't make me an expert by any means. Maybe I steered you away from doing some mistakes I have made in the past.  There's many more experienced cattle farmer's on FF than I, you should get their opinions as well.

[Piston]

Been busy last few days at my real job/ im a undercover narcotics officer and business is good up here in TN, more drugs than we can deal with, but thats another story,

I thought you weren't supposed to admit that?   :D

So, what's your real name?  What's your address?  Who are you following undercover now?  ;D

Tell us a cool story, my job is boring so I'm always up for a good story.   ;D

[breederman]

 In regards to A.I. using a natural heat is best. They will show heat aprox every 18 to 23 days. There's. Several ways to syncronize heat. You will need to get the hormones from your vet so see what he recommends. My favorite for beef cows is a vaginal insert called C . I. D.R. you can also use prostoglandin shots ten days apart then breed in three days
  I know this becouse I am the breederman!

[Okrafarmer]

In regards to A.I. using a natural heat is best. They will show heat aprox every 18 to 23 days. There's. Several ways to syncronize heat. You will need to get the hormones from your vet so see what he recommends. My favorite for beef cows is a vaginal insert called C . I. D.R. you can also use prostoglandin shots ten days apart then breed in three days
  I know this becouse I am the breederman!

I forgot the heat cycle was that short.
When I was in Australia, the dairy farm I was on used the CIDR method.

[chevytaHOE5674]

Ask 100 cattle farmers whats the best way to raise cattle and you will likely get 150 different answers :D. I know over the years my tactics have changed to better optimize the use of the land and the value of the dollar. You have to be willing to adapt and change as the markets (grain/hay/feeder/etc) change.


IME The best way to learn is to get the basics in your head and then get some cattle and try for yourself. A friend of mine who has no cattle but a bunch of children once told me "I shoulda raised cows, at least you can eat em if push comes to shove"...

[thurlow]

Ask 100 cattle farmers whats the best way to raise cattle and you will likely get 150 different answers. 

IME The best way to learn is to get the basics in your head and then get some cattle and try for yourself.

I totally agree;  seek other's opinions/advice, but make up your own mind.  I owned a lot of cattle for a lot of (47) years, but there was always something new to learn.  The local state extension service offered a seminar every year in the late Winter:  "if you Ral-gro your calves, you'll add 40 lbs;  if you castrate your bulls, you'll add 50 lbs;  if you worm/de-lice, you'll add 35 lbs;  a 'balanced' feed ration w/appropriate minerals will add 40 lbs; etc, etc.  (I can't remember the figures they quoted, but you get the idea).  If everything they proposed worked as they said, you could double your weaning weights........which is ridiculous.  I did follow most of their recommendations......tailored to my operation.

[Kansas]

I absolutely agree you have to tailor things to your operation. The Ralgro statement is true, but doesn't work if you want to retail hormone free beef. The castrate the bulls thing is immaterial, because a steer is worth a lot more than a bull, unless you are in the bull/breeding selling business. A balanced ration will yield more pounds, but what are you trying to achieve. If you have an ample supply of hay, plan on grazing when summer hits and have plenty of grass, you look at the cost per pound of gain. That tells you so much more. Its the resources you have, the cost of resources. If corn is 8 bucks a bushel, doesn't matter if you grew it or have to buy it. You still have to figure 8 bucks a bushel. Ditto with any protein costs.

As far as doubling weaning rates, its possible with the right genetics. Those don't come cheap. I made decent money back in the day buying flyweight heifers. The oldtimers at the auction barns taught me a good trick. The steers sold first. So many of those light steers looked like crap. Broken mouth cows, poor milkers. They started selling the lightest ones first. By the time they got the the guy's biggest and best steers, you could see the quality, or lack therof. Then the heifers sold. You knew the heifers would be the same quality. Amazing what some feed did for those lightweights did-if they had the quality. Don't know how many of those 300 lb scrawny heifers that looked like death warmed over I bought, got em home, gave em good hay, a little grain and protein, mineral, and you didn't recognize them in 30 days. But that was my program. Everyone has to have, as correctly pointed out, your own.

[grweldon]

Been busy last few days at my real job/ im a undercover narcotics officer and business is good up here in TN, more drugs than we can deal with, but thats another story,

I thought you weren't supposed to admit that?   :D

So, what's your real name?  What's your address?  Who are you following undercover now?  ;D

Tell us a cool story, my job is boring so I'm always up for a good story.   ;D

You are quite an amusing fellow Piston!  With a handle like Piston, I'd guess you were from the Motor City!

[red oaks lumber]

i feel the easiest way to have good gain for fair money.
1) have your forage program up to par (pasture & hay)
preconditon your cows before calving (put on a couple hundred lbs.) she'll more than put that into the calf during the first 6 months
2 yrs ago i switched my feeding program to all natural grass fed.once you get the concept of grass fed you really can see noticable gains.
the best advice is talk to alot of farmers get ideas then tailor it all to fit your operation